Darry's Mistake
by Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname
Summary: Darry sighed heavily and sat down at the table after a long day of work and started looking through the mail. Then something caught his eye. Pony's report card. Johnny and Dallas are still alive...
1. Chapter 1

Darry sighed heavily and sat down at the table after a long day of work and started looking through the mail. Then something caught his eye. Pony's report card.

"Ponyboy!" he yelled.

"Yeah, Dar?" Pony asked.

"Come here and look at this," he said, pointing to his math grade. "What is this?"

"A B?" Pony was confused. He thought that they were starting to get along.

"Yeah? And why don't you have an A?"

"What? I ain't perfect, Darry. It's just a B."

"It is, but you've been getting A's and so I'd like to know why you went down a whole letter grade."

"And I'd like to know why I always have to be so perfect!" Ponyboy was starting to get irritated.

"Let's see, shall we?" he said, getting up from his chair. "If I'm not mistaken, you've been getting straight A's for as long as I can remember. And you could get a scholarship, and that would make it easier on me." Darry thought that last part was a little selfish, but it was the truth.

"I'm nothing but a pain to you, huh, Darry? Nothing I do ever satisfies you. Since I'm such a burden to you all the time, why don't you just throw me in a boys' home now?" Pony was really confused since he thought Darry had changed. He didn't want to go to a boys' home, of course, and Sodapop wouldn't allow it anyway.

"Sometimes I want to. You're never using your head, and what with you slacking off in math, sometimes I just don't know what to do with you!" Darry immediately regretted what he said. He was just tired and frustrated, and he hadn't meant any of that.

"I knew it! I knew it all along. You've always wanted to get rid of me, haven't you? All that time, you were just trying to make Soda think that you cared. And if you can't find me one morning, you'll know why!" Pony yelled angrily, then stormed off to his room.

Darry slowly sat back down and ran his fingers through his hair. He was just having a bad day, and he hadn't meant to be so cold.

"What have I just done?" he muttered to himself. Then he remembered that they had promised Soda not to fight anymore. He had to keep his regret to himself and hoped Pony wouldn't say anything, he didn't want Soda to get mad too. The last thing anybody wanted was for Soda to be mad at you, because that meant that probably the most happy-go-lucky guy on earth was mad at you, and that was not a good thing at all. He decided to try to apologize to Pony in the morning and let him cool off for now.

The next morning, Darry was the first one to wake up, and he made breakfast. Suddenly, Sodapop ran in.

"Darry, I can't find Ponyboy!" His voice was frantic, and Darry's vision went red. "I looked everywhere in the house."

"He's gotta be somewhere, Soda. Maybe someone in the gang knows where he is." They went to Two-Bit's house first and knocked on the door. His mom answered.

"Is Two-Bit there?" Soda asked.

"Yeah. Two-Bit! Darry and Soda are here to see you," she yelled. Two-Bit came to the door.

"What is it?"

"We can't find Ponyboy. Have you seen him?" Darry asked.

"Sorry, guys. I haven't seen him. I'm sure the kid's around here somewhere, though."

"Okay. See ya later." Then they went to Steve's house.

"Hey, guys, what's goin' on?'

"Have you seen Pony by any chance?" Soda asked.

"I haven't seen him. Sorry."

"Well, if you do, just give me a holler."

"Okay. See you around, Soda." They asked Dally and Johnny and got the same answer.

"What're we going to do, Darry?" Soda asked in a panicked voice.

"I don't know. Man, this is all my fault." Darry immediately realized that he just got himself in a world of trouble by saying that and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What?" Darry didn't answer. "Darry…" He remained silent. "Tell me what you mean by that." Soda narrowed his eyes, and Darry sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get out of this one.

"I, uh, fought with him."

"YOU WHAT?" Soda yelled.

"I'm sorry. Look, I was having a bad day, and I said some things that I didn't mean and got him mad."

"I can't believe you did that! Why did you fight with him?" Darry bit his lip. He didn't want to answer that because he knew that it would only make Soda more upset, but he knew that Soda wouldn't let this drop. He held up Pony's report card.

"This is why."

"So, Pony got good grades? What does that have to do with anything?"

"His math grade."

"He only got a B! Jeez, Dar, can't you ever lay off? It's not like he's failing."

"I know. I was just frustrated and tired."

"Yeah? Well, it kind of caused Pony to run AWAY!"

"It wasn't just that in itself."

"What else, then?" Soda was getting madder by the second. When Darry told him, Soda clenched his fists.

"I can't believe you said that! No wonder he always thought that you hated him. Why can't you leave my kid brother alone? You guys promised not to fight anymore. You _promised_."

"I know. Maybe he's not too far off by now. He probably isn't as far away as last time."

"Well, if I were him, I'd be in _Texas_ by now!" Soda seethed. A hurt look crossed Darry's face.

"You don't mean that. This isn't like you…"

"Well, it isn't my fault that you caused my little brother to run away. This is all your fault!" Soda yelled, and started towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Darry asked softly.

"Away from you!" With that, Soda walked out. Tears welled up in Darry's eyes, and he sat down on the floor and hugged his knees to his chest. He knew Soda was really mad at him, but he wasn't running away. Soda wouldn't do that. '_It's all my fault. Why couldn't I just get off my high horse and not yell at him? I'm always screwing things up.' _ Guilt washed over him, and he let a few tears slide down his cheeks. Once Pony was back, he would apologize to him, and he vowed never to yell at Ponyboy Curtis like that ever again.

**A/N: So, what did you think? I'd love a review. And please don't tell me that Soda is a bit out of character, I already know that. And no, the story's not over yet. There will be at least one or two more chapters. Oh, and S.E. Hinton gives today as Darry's birthday, so… Happy Birthday, Darry!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I noticed that I forgot to put a disclaimer for chapter 1, so… here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders; I was not born in like 1950.**

Soda decided to take a walk to the park and back to clear his mind and try to cool off, but he was still mad when he returned. Steve, Dally, Johnny, and Two-Bit walked up. Dally and Johnny had just been hanging out when Steve and Two-Bit were laughing their heads off after Two-Bit was telling all the funny jokes that he could think of. It went something like this:

"Why did the policeman arrest the young cat?" Two-Bit asked.

"I don't know. Why?" Steve said.

"Because of the kitty litter!" Two-Bit laughed.

Anyway, they all saw the angry look on Soda's face as he was going past, and they all wanted to know what was making Soda so upset.

"What's goin' on, Soda?" Steve asked.

Soda looked at them and said, "Well, Darry yelled at Pony for his math grade, and it was only a B. The rest were all A's! I won't go into the rest of the details, but he was the one who made Pony run away again. Why can't he just lay off?" Soda said angrily.

"Calm down, Soda. I'm sure you'll be able to find the kid."

"The problem is, I have absolutely no idea where he's at." He paused for a minute, then went on saying, "Sometimes I want to run away too. Run away with Pony and get away from Darry for a while." Darry had stepped outside before, and heard all of that. His heart sank and he winced. The rest of the gang knew he was there and shot him a sympathetic look. They could tell that he felt bad. Darry didn't want to hear any more of the conversation and went back inside.

"You can't run away, Soda," Two-Bit said.

"Well, I won't. I'll just go look for Ponyboy and bring him back. I'll see you guys later." Then Soda left, and the gang headed into the Curtis house. Darry was sitting in the armchair.

"Hey, Superman," Steve said. Darry looked up.

"Hey."

"Uh, I'm sure Soda won't stay mad for too long. I don't think he's one to hold a grudge," Two-Bit said, seeing the pained look on Darry's face.

"I hope you're right about that."

"Well, Soda went looking for Pony, just to let you know," Dally said.

"Alright." The gang sensed that Darry probably wanted to be alone, and they decided that it was time to leave.

"See ya, Dar. Take it easy, okay?" Then all of them headed for the door, but Johnny stayed behind.

"You comin', Johnnycake?" Dally asked.

"Yeah, just a minute," Johnny answered. Dally shrugged and walked out the door, followed by Steve and Two-Bit. Johnny looked over at Darry and said, "Darry?'

"Yeah, Johnny?" It wasn't often that Darry and Johnny talked.

"I was just gonna tell you that you shouldn't feel too bad. Sure you messed up, but you're a good guy. Pony and Soda just don't know how good they have it. They're taking their lives for granted. You could've just stuck them in a boys' home and went to college, but you decided to take care of them instead. And at least you have a reason when you yell at Pony. My parents just beat me and yell for no reason. And you love your brothers and feel bad for messin' up. You're trying to be as good of a guardian as you could be. You're only twenty. Heck, sometimes I wish that I was your kid brother. I never really understood when Pony said that you couldn't stand him, and he thought you wished you could stick him in a boys' home."

"Really?" Darry was touched, but he winced a little at that last part.

"Yeah. Don't be too hard on yourself, alright, Dar? Workin' two jobs and havin' to take care of your brothers can't be too easy, and they really shouldn't be so hard on ya if you mess up once in a while." Darry was surprised. That was the most he'd ever heard Johnny say, and he never knew that Johnny thought any of that.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"Sure thing, Superman. Bye."

"Bye, Johnny." Then Johnny left. Darry felt a little bit better, but the smile slid right back off his face. He wasn't so sure that his brothers would forgive him so soon.

**I always had an idea for Johnny having this talk with Darry, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. And the joke that Two-Bit said at the beginning of this chapter was from a joke book that I have, so no, I didn't make that up. What do you think? Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Soda had been searching for Ponyboy for about three hours. Then he saw someone who was walking ahead of him. Soda knew immediately that it was his lost brother.

"Ponyboy!" He screamed. Pony stopped and turned around.

"Soda?"

Soda ran up and said, "Pony, I know Darry made you upset, but you can't just run off again."

"So, you're taking Darry's side?"

"No, but I still don't want you to run off. I'm mad at him too, but don't you remember hiding in that church and eating nothing but bologna the whole time? Life is harder when you run away." Pony made a sick face at the mention of bologna.

"Don't remind me. Fine, I'll come back with you." They walked home, and when they opened the door and went in, Darry was in the kitchen. He got up from his chair to go see who it was, and when he saw his brothers, he stopped.

"Ponyboy…" He wanted to apologize, but before he could say anything else, Pony shot him a glare and walked to his room. "Soda…" Darry tried, but Soda did the same as Pony, leaving Darry standing there all alone. He sighed and sat back down, rubbing his temples. What was he going to have to do to get his brothers to forgive him?

The next day, when Ponyboy was done with school and his brothers got off work, Soda walked over to Pony and said, "Hey, I'm goin' for a walk. You wanna come?"

"Sure." They started towards the door when Darry stopped them.

"Where are you two goin'?"

"Just for a walk," Ponyboy said. The tone of his voice made Darry flinch a little.

"I was just wondering."

They left, and Darry sighed and went into his room. It seemed like he was always the bad guy. That night when Soda ran out and Darry and Pony promised not to fight anymore, Soda explained that he felt like he was getting pulled apart and he couldn't take sides, and Darry knew that he should try to listen to Pony more, but he didn't like to yell at his brother and it was hurting him too. And though Soda said that he doesn't take sides, he was taking Pony's side right now, but Darry didn't blame him. What he said to Pony was pretty harsh. He hadn't meant any of what he said, though. He'd been meaning to apologize, but every time he tried, Pony wouldn't even give him the chance to. He would just glare at him, which made Darry feel worse. Every time he tried to tell Soda that he was sorry, Darry couldn't even walk up to him. Soda would see him coming and walk away without saying a word. Darry glanced over at his dresser and picked up the photograph of himself and his brothers with their parents from a year ago.

'_What happened?' _Darry thought_, 'One second I'm just the oldest brother, and the next second I'm the guardian with two jobs that is trying desperately to keep himself and his brothers together. It's all happened way too fast. I want Mom and Dad back. They'd know what to do. Heck, we wouldn't even be in this mess if they hadn't been in that wreck. Pony thinks that I think he's a screw up and a pain. If anyone in this house is a pain or a screw up, that would be me. I can't do anything right. I've certainly made enough mistakes, and I'm sure that Pony and Soda would be so much happier without me. Especially Pony. No older brother to nag at him for every tiny flaw. If I'd just left well enough alone, everything would've been okay.'_

Darry sniffed a little and thought of what Soda had said when he told him about his fight with Pony. _"Well, if I were him, I'd be in Texas by now!"_ Darry once again felt the sting of that comment, and he fought back the tears that threatened to escape. Soda hated him now, and that was a very bad thing. If Soda hates you, you've done something terribly wrong, because Soda doesn't hate too many people. He hates Socs, and now he hates Darry too. The thought of his own brothers hating him hurt tremendously, and his hands started shaking. Then he thought of what Johnny had said, and though it made him feel slightly better, it didn't change the fact that his brothers were still mad. Johnny said that he wished that he was Darry's kid brother, and Darry wished the same. He never thought that anyone understood what he was going through. The thought that came to him next made him feel like a five year old, but it was his true feelings. He wanted someone that understood him, and to comfort him and tell him that they loved him. The last time he'd heard those words were when his parents left them that fateful night…

**~Flashback~**

"_Alright, Darry. You're in charge until we get back. Make sure your brothers get to bed on time…" His mother was going to say more, but Darry already knew what to do. He'd been in charge before. _

"_I know. Everything'll be fine."_

"_I know it will. We'll be back by midnight. Take care."_

"_I will."_

'_Yeah, no throwing parties or anything," his father said jokingly. Darry laughed._

"_I'll try not to," Darry said with a grin. Then he heard the sound of his brothers fighting over the remote for the TV in the other room._

"_Soda, that's show's boring," Pony complained._

"_Is not!" Soda yelled._

"_Is too! Let me pick something to watch."_

"_No! Go read a book or something." _

_Darry rolled his eyes and yelled, "Hey! Mom and Dad are leaving!" That shut them up, and they came running in._

"_Bye!" They said at the same time._

"_Jinx! You owe me a soda, Soda!" Pony laughed. _

_Soda ruffled his hair and said, "Yeah, whatever."_

"_Bye, guys. Try not to kill each other," their father laughed._

"_We'll do our best," Darry said._

"_You two better listen to Darry, okay?" Their mother asked._

"_Aw, Dar's in charge again? He's always in charge," Soda whined._

"_He's the oldest, Pepsi-Cola. Sorry," Mr. Curtis said._

"_He's only four years older than me." Mr. and Mrs. Curtis shook their heads. Soda pouted, and everybody laughed. Then, all of a sudden, Darry had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't understand why. He tried to ignore it, but the feeling wouldn't go away, and he wondered why he would feel like this. He felt that something terrible was going to happen, and even though he thought that he was just worrying too much, he couldn't shake the feeling off. His parents must have seen the look on his face, because they both looked at him with concern._

"_Are you okay, Junior?" His father asked. He called him Junior sometimes because of the fact that they had the same name. Darry shook his head._

"_Just fine," he lied. The lie didn't fool them._

"_We love you, Darry," his mom said._

"_I love you too," Darry replied._

"_Well, are you guys goin' or not?" Soda asked._

"_Yeah, we're going. Goodnight, boys," Mrs. Curtis said._

"_Goodnight," all three brothers said._

**~End of flashback~**

Darry looked down. He missed his parents. They were so much better at taking care of them than he ever was. But of course, they were _parents _and that was different than being a twenty year old kid trying to take care of his younger brothers. What Johnny said was right. Taking care of them wasn't easy. Even though Soda said that he didn't take sides, it sure felt like he was leaning more towards Pony's side than Darry's. _'If only things could just go back to the way they were, when Mom and Dad were here and my brothers were just my brothers,' _Darry thought. There had to be something that he could do that would make his brothers forgive him. There just had to be _something_. His brothers couldn't stay mad at him forever, could they? Darry shook his head. Maybe he should take a walk and clear his mind. Maybe that would make him feel better.

**A/N: So, how was that? I would've updated sooner, but I got writer's block. :P REVIEW! I'll give you a cookie…**


	4. Chapter 4

Ponyboy and Soda were almost home from their walk when a red Corvette pulled up and four Socs came out. Drunk.

"Hey, greasers. Whatcha doin' in our territory, huh?"

"We ain't in your territory, Socs. This is ours. Now beat it," Ponyboy said.

"Shut up. Get 'em, guys!" The Socs attacked, and they all pulled out their blades. After a few minutes into the fight, Darry happened to walk by. He stopped to watch them. He decided not to jump in and help since his brothers seemed to be doing fine by themselves. Then, another Soc came out of nowhere and started to sneak behind Ponyboy and pulled out a blade. Darry's eyes widened, and adrenaline kicked in.

"Ponyboy! Watch out!" He screamed. Pony turned around.

"Darry?" Darry ran up and attacked the Soc. Ponyboy and Soda continued fighting the other Socs and finally drove them off. Then, they heard a loud scream. They turned around to see Darry clutching his side, blood seeping through his fingers. He pulled a blade out of his pocket with his free hand.

"Get out!" He screamed, anger flashing in his eyes. The Soc laughed and shoved him down. Darry grunted in pain. Then the Soc grabbed Darry's blade off the ground and stabbed him again. Darry screamed, and the Soc laughed and walked away, still holding Darry's blade. Darry tried to get up, but failed and went unconscious. Ponyboy and Soda stood there in shock, and then ran up to their hurt brother. Soda let out a whimper, and Pony sank to his knees, tears running down his cheeks. They were mad at Darry, but they didn't want him to die.

"Help! Someone help us!" Pony yelled. Luckily, there was another adult nearby.

"What happened?" He asked.

"We have to get him to a hospital."

"Alright. You go call an ambulance, and I'll try to help, okay?" Pony nodded and ran as fast as he could to find the nearest phone. Soda stood there, frozen in place with wide eyes, and the other man was kneeling on the ground, trying to help save Darry. Would the Curtis brothers ever get a break?

Pony returned a little bit later. "They're on their way. Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, kid. He might," the man said. Pony started biting his fingernails and looked over at Soda. He was still standing in the same spot, still frozen.

Pony walked over and said, "Soda? You okay?" Soda didn't budge. He didn't say anything, in fear that the giant knot in his throat would choke him, and he would break down. Greasers don't cry in front of strangers. He hardly heard Pony anyway, because of all the thoughts buzzing in his head.

'_Darry didn't mean to, Soda. He didn't mean to. You should've just forgiven him and moved on. It wasn't like he tried to kill Pony. He just had a bad day. You should've just let it go and brought Pony home. Darry has enough stress without you throwing more at him like that. After all he did for you, Soda. After all he did,' _the voice in his head screamed at him. Then he remembered the hurt look on Darry's face every time that he did look at him, and he started shaking, miserable that he'd caused his older brother so much pain.

Ponyboy gave him a concerned look.He could tell that Soda was holding a lot in. Soda didn't even look at Pony. It hardly registered that his younger brother was there. All he could see was his older brother lying unconscious on the ground, probably dying. That thought made him shake even harder.

Pony put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, but it didn't work. Pony was scared, maybe even more scared than when he found out that his parents were gone, and he wished for a whole pack of cigarettes, and keep half for himself and give the rest to Soda, but he didn't even have _one_.

Then the ambulance came and took Darry to the hospital. The man who helped them walked over and said, "Well, would you like me to drive you to the hospital?" Pony looked over at Soda, and he knew that there was no way that Soda could drive them there in this state, so Pony agreed. Soda was still in a daze, so Pony had to practically drag him along and into the car. Pony and Soda sat in the back seat, and they started off.

"So, who are you guys? My name is David," the man said.

"My name is Ponyboy, and this is my brother Sodapop."

"Oh, that's right. I read about you guys in the paper." He was silent for a moment. "So, uh, that was your oldest brother Darrel?"

"Yeah."

"Is Soda okay back there?"

"He's just… worried." Pony didn't tell David that Soda was guilt-tripping because he didn't really want to tell him the whole story of what happened. Especially since it would probably make Soda cry. Pony looked over to him and saw that he'd stopped shaking, and was now completely still.

When they got to the hospital, David said, "Alright, here we are."

"Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. I hope your brother will be okay." Pony nodded and pulled Soda through the doors and to the main desk.

"Excuse me; we're here to see Darrel Curtis. We're his brothers, Ponyboy and Sodapop."

"Okay. Just wait over there. You can't see him yet."

"Okay." Ponyboy pulled Soda over and sat down. "Soda?"

"Yeah?" Soda said, almost too quiet for Pony to hear.

"Darry'll probably be fine. He's strong."

"I hope so." A few minutes later, a nurse walked in.

"Ponyboy and Sodapop?" They stood up.

"Yes, ma'am?" The nurse hesitated before she answered.

"Well, um, I'm sorry to tell you this, but, your brother probably won't make it. We did everything we could, but he's lost too much blood. I'm so sorry, boys." Soda started shaking again.

"Can we talk to him?" Pony asked.

"You can try."

**A/N: Oh no! Darry's dying? Read the next chapter to find out! And don't worry; I won't make you wait a month for the next chapter. And as for the people who reviewed chapter 3, here are your cookies! *Hands cookies to reviewers* And review this chapter, please. Darry's life is in my hands!**


	5. Chapter 5

The nurse told them which room Darry was in. When they went in, Darry was lying on the bed, and Pony and Soda could just barely tell that he was still alive. Pony walked up and gently shook Darry's shoulder.

"Darry? Wake up." Darry slowly opened his eyes.

"Pony… are you two okay?" Pony and Soda were baffled. Darry was the one lying on a bed in the hospital, and he was worried about _them_?

"Yeah, Dar. We're fine. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Darry lied.

"Darry…" Pony didn't buy it.

"I thought you guys were… mad at me."

"We ain't mad at you no more, Dar." Darry smiled, but then winced in pain.

"What's the matter, Pone?"

'_What's the matter?' _Pony thought, _'you're freakin' dying, and you're asking me what's the matter?'_ Pony didn't actually say that, though. "You gotta live, Darry."

Darry reached up and pushed his hair back. Then he looked over at his other little brother.

"Soda…" he started. That did it. Soda's lip trembled and he started bawling.

"I'm sorry, Darry. I'm so sorry. I take back everything I said when I was mad. You're a good big brother. The best ever, even. I'm sorry I was so mean. You were right. That wasn't like me. I know you didn't mean to. I shouldn't have stayed mad at you." Darry's heart melted.

"It's alright, little buddy. I don't blame you for bein' mad. I did drive our little brother away again."

"No. It ain't alright."

"You can't die," Pony started, "I'll do anything you say. Anything! I'll get straight A's on everything for every last year that I'm in school. I'll get a scholarship and go to college. Anything you want! Just don't die," he finished quietly.

"Ponyboy, look at me," Darry said softly. Pony shook his head. "Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" He yelled sternly. Pony looked up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm against this as much as you are, but I still want you to do all those things. You can't just stop living because you lose somebody. I want you to stay my smart little brother who likes watching movies and reading books. You hear me?" Pony didn't answer. "Hey! I want you to promise me." Pony nodded.

"I promise." Darry smiled. Soda was looking at the floor.

"Soda, listen to me. I want you to stay my happy-go-lucky brother. Okay? Can you promise me?"

Soda looked up with tear-filled eyes and said, "Yeah, Darry. I promise."

Pony's eyes widened as a thought dawned on him. "What is the rest of the gang going to do? Soda ain't old enough to take care of me. We'll have to go to a boys' home, so where are they going to go when they need a place to stay? Steve's dad is always kicking him out, and Johnny needs somewhere to go when he needs to get away from his parents, and…"

"Pony, they'll be fine. I know they will. It ain't the end of the world." Ponyboy ignored Darry's comment.

"We'd be lost without you, Dar." He never knew how much they all needed their eldest brother until now. No Darry, no gang.

"Like I said, I'm against this as much as you are…" Darry coughed. "There's just nothing any of us can do. This is just fate, I guess. It'll all work out."

"But, Dar…"

"It's gonna be okay. I promise." Darry paused for a moment, and then went on. "Tell the gang… I'm sorry. And that they've been good buddies."

"Darry, please…"

"I'm proud of you guys. I really am."

"We love you, Darry." Soda nodded in agreement.

"I love you guys too."

"Thanks for everything, Dar," Pony said quietly.

"You're welcome, little buddy. I'll miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too, Darry. We all will."

Darry smiled and closed his eyes. He was gone. But he couldn't die just like that, could he? He was everything to them. Their guardian, their brother, their friend, and the unofficial leader of their gang. He was Superman. He'd done so much for them. He gave up college to take care of them, worked two jobs, tried his best to keep them out of trouble, and they both knew that Darry would give his life to keep them safe, and tonight, he had.

Darry said that they would still make it through life without him, but neither of them could understand how. Despite their promises to keep going, they had no idea how they could get along without their eldest brother. Just like that night at the hospital when he came home from Windrixville, Ponyboy was astounded that anything about Darry had ever reminded him of ice. Darry was never cold; he only seemed to be that way at times.

Soda was crying, and he made no attempt to wipe the tears away. He wished Darry wouldn't have seen their fight with the Socs. He wouldn't have died. But then again, Pony might have been killed, and who knows when he would've forgiven Darry if he hadn't saved Ponyboy. But he wanted his brother back. Losing their parents had been bad enough. The tears came down harder as he thought about how he'd yelled at Darry after Pony ran away. He shouldn't have stayed so mad. Darry said that it was alright, but Soda felt bad all the same. Pony looked as miserable as he was, and before he could blink, Pony was squeezing the heck out of him, but Soda could care less. He just pulled his little brother closer as they both cried. They finally stopped after a few minutes and left the room. They saw a nurse on the way out.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," she said. Pony and Soda nodded and headed home and got the gang together.

"What's wrong, guys?" Two-Bit asked. Pony took a deep breath and told them about the fight with the Socs.

"Darry's dead." There was a silence. Dally looked like he wanted to punch something, Steve looked completely shocked, Johnny was looking at the ground, and Two-Bit was laughing.

"What's so funny?" Soda snapped at his friend's disrespect.

"It's just that… I thought you said that Darry is dead." Pony and Soda looked down, and Two-Bit gulped. "You're serious?" They nodded sadly.

"He said to tell you guys that he's sorry, and that y'all have been good buddies."

"Shoot, so has he."

"What're we going to do?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. Dar said that we'd all be fine."

"Wait… if Darry's gone, then that means… you two are going to a boys' home."

"We know. He insisted that it would be alright."

Everyone was silent again.

"Uh, we're goin' home to pack our stuff. Bye, guys," Ponyboy said. They all waved in silence.

"Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"Since you're already seventeen, what am I gonna do when they let you out?"

"Well, I could try to see if I could have custody, but I don't know."

"It wouldn't be the same without Darry, but I guess it would be better than bein' alone." They walked in their house, and then stopped. "Soda, I don't wanna leave. How about we just hide here?"

"We can't do that, Pony. A social worker will show up to check on us, and when they find out that Dar's gone, we'll be taken away anyways." Pony didn't reply. They packed up all the things they needed, and looked around their house one last time.

Then they came to Darry's room.

They went in and sat on the bed and looked around. It was no doubt the cleanest room in the house. Pony looked over and saw a picture on top of the dresser. It was the picture that was taken before their parents died.

"It just ain't fair! First Mom and Dad, and now Darry. Which one of us is next? I'm starting to wonder if any of us were meant to exist at all. Dar was only twenty!" Pony sobbed. Soda was thinking the same thing, and they both cried until they fell asleep on their brother's bed.

**(POV change)**

I woke up and looked around. I was laying on… my bed? And Soda wasn't there. I looked over at the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. I was confused. Hadn't I fallen asleep in Darry's bed with Soda yesterday? Then I heard voices in the kitchen.

"Hey Soda, where's Ponyboy?" That was… Darry. But Darry was gone. I saw it with my own eyes.

"He's still asleep." I was seriously confused, but then I thought of something. Had that whole thing been a dream?

"He needs to get up. Ponyboy! Get up!" Darry yelled. I didn't move. The shock of my nightmare had been too much. "Don't make me come in there, kiddo. 'Cause I will." I still didn't move. Darry walked in, and when he kneeled down to tickle me, I reached up and hugged him. I was so glad that it had all been just a dream and he was okay.

"What's wrong, little buddy? Did you have another one of those nightmares?"

The horror of my dream came flooding back, and I started shaking and hugged him tighter. "It was even worse than my other nightmare, Darry."

"Can you remember what happened?" I nodded, and I kind of wished that I hadn't remembered. "Can you tell me about it?"

I managed to choke out my nightmare, and when I finished, his eyes were wide in shock.

"It's okay. I'm right here. Shh, it's all right," he comforted, rubbing my back. We sat there for a couple minutes. "Come on, it's time for breakfast."

"I feel like such a bawl-baby," I said, sniffling a little.

Darry laughed. "That's my little fourteen year old kid brother."

"I ain't little." He ruffled my hair.

"You are compared to me. Come on, we don't got all day." We walked in the kitchen, and Soda stared at us.

"What took you guys so long?"

"I'll tell you later. We gotta get moving or we'll be late for work," Darry replied. We ate breakfast, and then Darry and Soda got ready to leave. "Ponyboy, Two-Bit should be here soon to watch you. Call me if he isn't here in a half hour."

"Okay. See you guys later." That's right; yesterday was Friday, so someone has to watch me since I don't have school today. My brothers left and my thoughts drifted back to my nightmare. I shuddered. That was definitely the worst I've had. I kept thinking that the dream was trying to tell me something. Was it that I don't appreciate Darry enough? Well, whether it was trying to tell me something or not, it scared the heck out of me, and I definitely appreciate him 100 percent now.

I looked at the clock. 6:05. '_Well, Two-Bit has exactly twenty-five minutes to get here,'_ I thought, laughing silently. Now what? I've read all of the books in our house a million times already. I didn't really feel like watching TV, and I finished all of my homework yesterday. I sat down and thought of a question that I had on a paper for school once.

_Who is the most important person in your life? Why?_

I hadn't known what to put down at the time, so I just quickly jotted down 'my brother Sodapop.' Yes, Soda was important to me too, but now my answer would have to be Darry. He's been a better brother than I've ever given him credit for. That nightmare I had explained why he is so important to all of us, really. It was so obvious, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized this sooner. Losing Darry would be like losing my right hand, and then being asked to write a five paragraph essay. It would just be a mess. How could I have ever thought that he hated me and wanted to put me in a boys' home? I sighed and shook my head. I sure didn't have the answer to _that_ question.

**A/N: Surprise! I bet you didn't see that coming. And yes, that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed this! Review. DO IT FOR DARRY! :)**


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